Word: ren
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...insisted that it would "add fuel to suspicions about South Africa's involvement." The U.S. State Department drew attention to a 1978 pact between seven major industrialized nations that would cut air flights to countries that harbor hijackers. As expected, the loudest protests came from Seychelles President Albert René. After forlornly requesting extradition of the raiders, he asked the United Nations to conduct an inquiry and charged again that Pretoria had organized the coup. That accusation was buttressed by a Durban newspaper report that several of the mercenaries were South African policemen...
...surprised immigration official discovered a gun in one of the visitors' bags, the chap's companions whipped out automatic weapons. Obviously, this was no ordinary package tour. This was a coup, and the sportsmen were mercenaries hired to topple the left-wing regime of President Albert Ren...
After the mercenaries waged a 20-hour airport battle with government forces, the coup collapsed. Forty-four of the mercenaries escaped by hijacking an Air India Boeing 707 that had landed during the battle; the others were dead, arrested or in hiding. President René launched a nationwide man hunt and ordered all foreigners in the islands-including visiting U.S. Ambassador William Harrop-confined to their hotels...
...attackers-mostly said to be former members of Rhodesian and South African army units as well as a few Americans, Britons and other Europeans-were reportedly paid $1,000 and promised a further $10,000 if their mission was successful. It was unclear who put up the money. René, 46, who was established in power by a coup in 1977, has plenty of enemies. His Marxist leanings have embittered wealthy islanders and prompted two previous coup attempts...
...plans for 14 months dropped their opposition. After 114 years, declared the ebullient Prime Minister, "Canada will become, in a technical and legal sense, an independent country." Still, Trudeau faced one important challenge to his dream. The lone holdout against his plan among the ten premiers was René Lévesque, leader of predominantly French-speaking Quebec, who warned, "Never will we accept that our traditional and fundamental powers be removed without our consent...